Traveling During a Government Shutdown: Chaos, Crowds & Kindness (feat. Ann Tuttle)

What really happens when you travel during a government shutdown?

In this episode of Travel Time Stories with Shannon, I’m joined by my best friend and co-host Ann as we share our real-life experiences flying during a government shutdown — long TSA lines, delayed flights, packed airports, unexpected kindness, and moments that tested our patience (and humanity).

We don’t just talk about the chaos — we talk about the people behind the scenes. The TSA agents, gate attendants, janitors, and airport staff who showed up every day without pay, keeping travelers moving while under unimaginable stress.

This episode is part travel story, part emotional reflection, and part practical advice — all told like two friends sitting down after a long trip saying, “You won’t believe what happened.”

In this episode, we talk about:
✈️ What airport security really looked like during the shutdown
⏳ 2+ hour TSA lines and flight delays
❄️ Getting stuck in Chicago O’Hare during a snowstorm
💛 Acts of kindness from airline staff and fellow travelers
😬 The best (and worst) traveler behavior we witnessed
🧳 Tips if you ever have to travel during major disruptions

If you’ve ever felt stressed, stuck, or overwhelmed while traveling — or if you just love honest stories from the road — this conversation is for you.

✨ Grab your favorite beverage, take a breath, and travel this story with us.

Introduction
0:11 - Welcome and overview of traveling during the government shutdown 

Security Lines Experience
3:34 - Ann's 2+ hour wait in Houston and Shannon's experience at various airports 

Flight Delays & Cancellations
13:03 - The chaos of dealing with delayed flights from DC to Chicago 

Chicago Airport Chaos
22:20 - Ann's experience stuck in the packed Chicago O'Hare during the snowstorm 

Appreciation for Staff
28:23 - Recognizing TSA agents and airport staff working without pay 

Travel Tips & Closing
31:42 - Practical advice for traveling during disruptions and final thoughts 

Chapters

• 0:00 Traveling During a Government Shutdown: Chaos, Crowds & Kindness (feat. Ann Tuttle)
• 0:36 Introduction
• 12:34 Flight Delays & Cancellations
• 21:09 Chicago Airport Chaos
• 26:39 Appreciation for Staff
• 29:37 Travel Tips & Closing

Transcript

 Did my Washington flight to Chicago get delayed. God, I don't remember, Sis, it's terrible. 

Yes.  Yes it did. So, let me tell you what happened. Oops. Sorry. this is what happens since, you know, we keep it real on the show. This is what happens when you age. You have these Alzheimer moments where you don't remember things 

that happened.

Did you see the look on my face? It was like the curtain shut.  

 Introduction

Welcome to Travel Time Stories with Shannon, the podcast where real journeys meet real stories and real healing happens one conversation at a time. I'm your host Shannon, coming to you from the Lone Star state of Texas. Some weeks I share pieces of my own life story from travel adventures to the very real journey of healing and growth.

Other weeks I'm joined by my best friend and co-host Ann from the show me State of Missouri, as we sit down with special guests who share their experiences, insights, and expertise to help all of us along our own journeys. Today I am joined by my best friend, Ann. Hey Ann. Hey everybody. And we're talking about what it's really like to travel during a government shutdown, something we recently experienced firsthand.

There were a lot of stories circulating during this time of how things were. And since we experienced it, we wanted to share with you what we saw. Long security lines to delayed flights and some. Truly shocking moments. we're sharing it all. So if you've ever wondered what happens when the government hits pause and you're still trying to catch a flight, this episode is for you.

If you've ever felt stuck searching or just in need of a good story that reminds you, you're not alone, you're in the right place. So grab your favorite beverage and let's get into it. We'd heard rumors about flight delays and cancellations due to air traffic control being short staffed because They were working without pay long security lines because TSA agents were working without pay as well, and even security lapses, but nothing really prepares you until you're in the middle of it. 

Let's start with when and where we traveled. we traveled twice during this time. I flew from, St. Louis to Houston in October for our cruise.

Then I flew from Intercontinental Airport in Houston, back home to St. Louis in November after our cruise. And that was basically during the early days of the shutdown. Really, we had no idea what to expect.  

Exactly. And then next, we both flew to Washington DC for a weekend trip as I was attending a conference for work and asked Ann to join me.

So she flew from St. Louis to DC with a layover in Chicago, and I flew direct from Houston to dc. Then we had the same routes going home, and this was the first weekend in November, actually a day before they implemented the flight reduction. So we were worried about not being able to get home by flying and putting together a plan for an alternate travel route just in case.

let's talk about the security lines, which you experienced flying home that Sunday from Houston after our cruise. You waited, I think it was over two hours just to get through TSA. And I know, thankfully I had saw the delays and took you to the airport several hours early. Yes. Describe that whole experience for us from when I dropped you off to you getting to your gate.

it was super crowded. First of all.  the lines were just,  it started in one big room and then they shuffled us all to another room, and then to be able to actually go to security, they were taking us four at a time. By the time I went through just letting four people at a time go through because the security holding area.

It was all roped off, but it was completely full of people. So they were having to wait until security got a couple people through and the line moved up before they could let a few more people through. It was,  very, interesting. it was almost three hours, like two hours and 40 minutes in line.

Most of the people were super patient and super nice. We were basically all there together waiting to get on a plane. There were a couple of people that line jumped. there was this one young couple and they were already late getting to their plane and even line jumping. They asked some people if they could jump in front of them, and the people said, no.

So they waited and jumped behind them, and then just kept jumping from that line to the next line underneath the ropes until they got right up to the front for security, and security didn't do anything about it. The guy saw them jumping the line and he let him go through. Anyway. I will say that karma, they missed their flight anyway because.

the time they got there, their plane had left. So yeah, it didn't do 'em any good to jump lines and make a lot of people really mad 

Yeah. It pays to be patient sometimes. 

Very much so in that type of situation. Very much so. and most of the travelers were,  Everybody visited with everybody and we just waited our turn quietly.

But yeah, there were a couple line jumpers, a couple people were screaming at TSA agents that upset me very much. this one girl was just literally going off on this man, and I don't know what for, but she was screaming, yelling, cursing the whole nine yards and. It was all I could do. Not to go over to her and say, Hey, he doesn't even have to be here today.

None of them do go get in line like everybody else. But of course I couldn't get involved.   I felt really bad for the TSA people that had to put up with that type of behavior from very nasty travelers that day.  

Yeah. After your flight home from the cruise that weekend, the next weekend I was flying out from here to DC.

And because of your experience and how long you had to wait in the line and all that, I made sure I got to the airport extra early 'cause I was worried 

mm-hmm. 

About the same thing happening for me. When I got there at Intercontinental during that time, I have TSA precheck. So normally the precheck line is short, super quick, easy, well worth the money people.

If you don't have TSA precheck, I suggest. Get it, it's worth it. At Intercontinental, the pre-check line wasn't open in certain terminals, and I was flying out of terminal C, and so pre-check was not open in terminal C. Now I had the option to take the tram over to terminal D and E where it was open, or just get in the regular security line and go through the regular security line at Terminal C.

I made the decision to just get in the regular security line because it wasn't that long, and I figured by the time it would take me to get on the tram and go all the way over there, chances are the line wasn't gonna be any shorter over there than if I just stayed and waited and went through regular security.

So that's what I did, and it took. Only about 30, 45 minutes to get through regular security line, which was awesome. And like you said, they were only taking two people at a time. they were doing four for you, but for me, 

yeah. 

There was only two of us at a time going, so that was one of the reasons why it was taking so long.

so we went two at a time. I went through the line with. No problems, you know, just like I said, 40 minute wait to get through the line. so that wasn't bad at all. I mean, normally in the regular security line, you'll wait that long anyway for a flight.  I did that and there was one person that cut the line while we were there.

Everybody was very highly upset and yeah, the excuse he had for cutting the line was. Total BS and everybody knew it. But anyway, he cut the line and nobody stopped him. So there was that.  that was my experience leaving out of Houston to dc then both of us were in DC together. we went to the airport in DC to fly home you to Missouri, me to Texas.

And in DC both the regular security line and TSA pre-check were open. And you don't have pre-checks. So you went to the regular security line and I went through pre-check. 

Right. 

So how was your experience at the regular security line leaving DC that weekend? 

Well, as you know, you had to wait for me because you got through much quicker than I did.

But it didn't take that long. I didn't think like about 20, 30 minutes. You didn't have to wait very long for me. I'd say maybe 20 minutes. I went through pretty quick. I did notice, usually they really check bags closely. they were kind of skimming some through. They didn't even look at mine.

They just skimmed my bag right through and I grabbed it. Left. super easy. Also, I couldn't help my other brain thinking, oh gosh, what do some of these people have in their bags?  that's kind of scary. 

That's a, that's 

a legitimate thought. Yeah. 

Yeah. That, that all went through my mind that I didn't think planes were very safe during that time.

 I was a little concerned about that,  but we did great. 

Yeah. I went through the pre-check line, at the DC airport, and there was literally nobody in the line. I walked right up, 

yeah, 

did my little face recognition scan, and went right on through. I noticed the same thing. They were not really scanning bags, they were just sending them down the belt and at the speed at which they were going down the belt.

There was no way that the bag checker that's sitting there looking at the bag had time to actually look at the contents of the bag, which is why I say I know that they weren't really checking the bags.  and. The other thing that I observed was they were not, normally you have the restrictions with the liquids and you also have the restrictions of if you're in the regular security line, you have to take out your laptops and you know, all of that.

they were not making you do any of that. You didn't have to take nothing out and, they didn't care about the liquid size and all that. they just were pushing you through. 

Well, and as people in my line were taking laptops out, they were actually screaming at them. Put your laptop back. Put your laptop back.

We don't want anything out. And literally, yeah, they didn't look at anything. 

Yeah, exactly. But we didn't have a long wait, neither one of us getting through. 

Mm-hmm. 

The security line leaving DC so that was really nice. 

Yeah. 

But let's talk about flight delays, cancellations, and the chaos of dealing with that.

Flight Delays & Cancellations

Unfortunately, this was something that affected us during our travel home from DC. So Ann, 

definitely 

 The first thing was your flight from DC to Chicago. 

Yes. 

Discuss what happened with your flight and how we handled it. 

 you might have to edit this, but that one, I don't remember, DC to Chicago.

That one was pretty easygoing. I thought it was when I got to Chicago that I got delayed. Did my Washington flight to Chicago get delayed? God, I don't remember. Sis, it's terrible. 

Yes. Yes it did. So, let me tell you what happened.

Oops. Sorry.

Since, you know, we keep it real on the show. This is what happens when you age. You have these Alzheimer moments where you don't remember things that happened. 

Did you see the look on my face? It was like the curtain shut. Ooh. Like, uh, what?

So after we got through security in DC we went and got a coffee, obviously, because we were there very early because once again, we were worried about, you know, long security lines or whatever. 

Yeah. 

So we were there like three or four hours early, especially since it didn't take us any time to get through security.

we went and got coffee and something to eat, a breakfast sandwich, and as we're sitting there having our breakfast sandwich and coffee, we got a notification on the United app because we were flying United.  please people make sure you have your travel apps and check those regularly. 

Yes. 

Anyway, we got an alert on the United App that.

Ann's flight leaving DC to go to Chicago was going to be delayed. And because of the delay, now she would miss her connecting flight from Chicago to St. Louis. Is it coming back to you now sissy? 

Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

The panic 

and so. Yeah, and she's exactly right. Panic is what she did. Normally, I am the panicker and the one that freaks out and she has to keep me calm.

We switched roles this time. 

We 

did. We did. We did. Even though I'm, I'm traveling with the travel agent. Okay. So. I should 

not have have panicked. 

Exactly. So she panicked and was freaking out, and I'm trying to calm her down and at the same time, I'm trying to look in the app and see what our options are, what we can do so I can try to fix something here.

She's so panicked that she can't even give time to try to look at anything and do anything without just over there going

so, Shannon had to  shut me down, literally.

Yeah, that was fun. 

it was not pretty. but anyway, I, was able to find a solution of getting her on  there was an earlier flight than the one she was booked on to leave DC to go to Chicago. 

Thank goodness. 

So I was able to get her on that earlier flight so that she would have then made it in time to get her connecting flight so we didn't have to change the connecting flight part.

Well, I wasn't sure how to do that on the app. So we went down to the gate and I talked with the gate agent, who I'm gonna give a shout out. I really wish I knew her name. Yes. I did not write it down. And I'm mad at myself that I didn't write it down. 

Yeah. 

She was working the United Gate in DC and she was so super nice and helpful and kind.

Yes, 

definitely. 

I explained the situation to her, what I was trying to do, and she went right in on the system, switched Ann's flight to the earlier flight, and, kept her connecting flight the same and printed out her new ticket for her and everything. So she took very good care of us. After that. We thought everything was good.

And we went and we're just chilling out, waiting, you know, for Ann's new flight to be ready to board and go. And then I was leaving later than that. I was sitting waiting with Ann for that. When we get the alert that that flight has now been delayed. 

Yeah. 

Yeah. Yep.

Just keeps going. 

But this time we did not panic because even though it was delayed, the time that it was delayed too, originally, when they first told us she still would've made her connecting flight, so it was not an issue. So we were like, cool, who cares? It was delayed. We're already here, so you know, whatever.

Well. Then when it was time for that flight to actually start boarding, they didn't start boarding and everybody that was sitting there at the gate is like, what is going on? Like, what's happening? Well then here comes the captain of that flight. Out to the gate area. I've never seen this before, 

but no, I hadn't either

Captain got off the plane, came out to the gate area, and talked to all of the passengers together as a group and let them know that, you know, the flight was delayed. Even more than what they originally thought, and that there were two options. The first option was for him to not move the plane from the gate and just keep the gate blocked so no other flights could come in or out of that gate until air traffic allowed, you know, that flight to leave.

Or all the passengers could go ahead and board the plane and they could wait out on the tarmac. For clearance and then take off and he let everybody know  It's majority rules. Whatever y'all wanna do is what I'm gonna do. So everybody, 

yeah, he was so awesome. 

Yeah, he was really nice. The majority decided they wanted to go ahead and board the plane and wait out on the tarmac.

Yep. 

And so that's what happened. So now sissy, do you remember like how long you waited out on the tarmac or any of that? Like what was happening while y'all were out on the tarmac? Because, I don't know about that part. 

Actually it was pretty awesome. Everybody was just chatting on the plane at that point.  we were out there probably about 25 minutes or so waiting to take off.

There were other planes, ahead of us. So yeah, we just kind of hung out on the tarmac. Everybody was pretty chill and no problems. And you know, it was awesome. Had a couple toddlers on the flight that were chatting it up, so that was pretty cute to watch. Yeah, it was, it was really great. And the captain was wonderful.

He kept us informed the whole time. You know, we've got two flights ahead of us, we're next, whatever. So yeah, it was great. It was time. He was like, all right, let's go guys. And yeah. So I really loved that captain. That was the best captain I've ever had a, on a flight. I wish I knew who he was. 

well, then they finally took off and she makes it to Chicago 

and then that's where 

more issues happen.

Chicago Airport Chaos

So we deplaned in Chicago and. The airport is literally packed. There were people that had been there for several days waiting to fly out. At that point, there were people sleeping in the hallways, just laying in the hallways, playing with their phone. There were families sitting in the hallways playing cards.

we were all sharing the charger outlets, you know, because one of us would get done charging and we'd go, okay, this one's free, and somebody'd run over and grab it because all of our phones were dying at that point. But yeah,  that was a nightmare. There was literally, at some points, no place to sit.

You could not get food or drink because the lines were so long. That you didn't even wanna try. All of the restaurants were packed full of people. I think a lot of them were in the restaurants just for a place to sit. I saw a lot of people sitting at just empty tables. And then of course, that flight then got delayed and I panicked a little bit.

she panicked a lot. She panicked a lot, and thank God I was already on my flight heading home. 

Yep. 

But I always get the wifi on my flight, so I was still able to communicate with her, because yes, she was massively panicked. And plus I was trying to help her figure out, 

another flight, 

if there was another flight or whatever, because.

It wasn't just delays because of the whole shutdown. 

Right. 

Chicago had a fricking massive snowstorm 

and it had just started a couple of hours before. So by the time we flew out, the captain came on a little bit later and said that we were actually. Lucky because we were the last flight that they let go.

So, I feel like I got really, really lucky getting home that night. But yeah, the snowstorm turned out to be pretty, pretty bad for Chicago. it turned into more of a blizzard, I think, for them. 

Mm-hmm. 

But yeah, it was snowing pretty hard when we took off. I was sitting there watching it out the window, actually took pictures because.

The snow was so thick you couldn't see the light poles hardly on the runway, so it was pretty wicked. But the whole time, I'm praying, please let us take off. Let us take off. 

you were there at the airport for hours before. 

Yes. 

You got a flight out, so I can't remember how many hours, but. It was a long time.

Like, 'cause it was late that night before you got a flight out. 

Right? Right. And as I said there, it was very crowded. So, you know, minimal sitting space. I didn't wanna sit on the floor. I was, and I was tired of sitting at that point. So,  I would walk around and find a hallway that wasn't super crowded and then I could kind of just do some walking around the terminal and around the airport.

but there were some. Hallway that you literally could not walk down because they were so full of people and people were upset. Flights had been canceled completely. At that point, flights were delayed. The reactions of people looking at their phone, realizing that they weren't getting home that night.

Maybe not for a couple days at that point, because of the storm. It was, yeah, it was pretty rough. It was total chaos.  but again, you saw kindness with all of this chaos, you know, kindness in, in the sharing of information. People were asking people for directions that they'd come running in and say, Hey, oh, has this fight left yet?

We could all say, oh yeah, they just closed the door, that one left. And they would be like, oh, I,  missed my flight. You know, so there was a lot of that happening. But yeah, it was crowded and it was chaotic and I was hungry and I wanted to eat. But boy, trying to, to get into a food line was.

Pretty crazy. So I finally got into Einstein Brothers. It was really good. 

Yeah. When you're starving, anything is good. 

Well, and then I topped it off with a cinnamon roll from, auntie Ann's pretzels. that was fabulous. Yeah. 

Yum. Yeah. 

I mean, I had time to go into different terminals for different food.

I thought, you know, I'm walking anyway. I might as well grab something while I'm over here. So I  

I will have to say that normally without all the chaos happening, Chicago Airport is, or Chicago O'Hare, they have two. So let me specify which one. 

Yes, 

O'Hare Airport is very easy to navigate. I actually, it's one of the airports that I like and don't mind having to go through that airport or have a layover there.

 Yeah, it was a pretty nice airport. Well laid out. lots of places to eat, 

mm-hmm. 

 get drinks.  somebody really thought about that airport. It was very well thought out, well planned, I was okay being stuck there for a while.

Appreciation for Staff

Let's talk about the staff, the TSA agents, janitors, gate attendants. Most of them 

definitely 

were working without pay. 

Yep. 

the fact that they were still showing up shows dedication and should be commended. 

Yes. 

I mean, how many of us would still show up for work if we were not getting paid? I'm just gonna be honest.

I would be one of those that would not show up for work. 

Yeah, same,  Morale was low, you could tell. But they did their job. I mean, and they did it quickly and efficiently and I feel like I interacted with a lot of kind people that weren't getting paid and everybody that I interacted with, my words were, thank you for being here today.

I know you don't have to. And that brought a lot of smiles to a lot of faces. I noticed They would stop a minute and go, thank you. You know? I think it kind of helped their morale a little bit to, to be recognized that we know you're working with no pay. We know you're here to help us get on our flights and without you, we couldn't do it.

I thought everybody handled it well. 

Yeah, same. I did too, and same as you. I made it a point to every staff member that I interacted with to say thank you to them and I appreciated them being there to help me, you know, get on my flight and go where I needed to go. 

Mm-hmm. Of course, you know, compared to normal travel, this felt more unpredictable.

I mean, it was. less structure, more stress. Literally, you had no control. It was completely out of your hands.  I am not a control freak, but when it comes to travel. It was a little bit stressful. 

Yeah. We had to be flexible, changing gates, adjusting plans, even rebooking a leg of your trip. It was a true test in patience and 

yeah, 

I, I try to be a very patient person, but a lot of times I'm not, but During this time, I made sure to really lean into my patients and just go with the flow and try to not lose it. 

I have to say, in all honesty, that experience humbled me a lot. It really did. It also made us more aware of how much we rely on these people and systems, the people behind these systems.

They're the reason we get to travel. They're the reason everything runs smoothly. I love those people. 

Exactly. And 

yeah, guys, shout out to all of you that worked during the shutdown. I am. I'm so thankful for all of you. I really am. This country would've stopped dead without air travel, literally. 

Yep, for sure.

Travel Tips & Closing

So if you have to travel. During a shutdown, here are our tips. Arrive early, not an hour early, not two. Arrive three to four because things are gonna change. And as in my instance, because we were so early. Shannon was able to get me on that earlier flight, so that's a perk. You also have time to eat, explore a little bit, check out some shops, whatever, pack snacks and water because again, the lines were so long you couldn't get food, so I was just really thankful that I had stuff in my bag to eat, and I always have my water bottle when I travel, so please be kind to the staff.

They're doing their best under really tough conditions and they're there doing it for us. they're not getting paid, so they're not doing this for themselves. Okay? So remember that. Be patient with them. Be kind. Don't argue.  use your travel apps. You'll get real time updates. Changes. Changes. You know what's going on immediately.

And stay flexible. People there will be delays and be ready to pivot. Those are my tips. 

Yeah. 

Great tips, Ann. 

Yeah, thank you. 

So traveling during a government shutdown isn't ideal, but it's doable with patience and preparation. 

Yes, and don't forget to show appreciation to the staff who are keeping things running a little kindness goes such a long way, guys.

If the story resonated with you, give it a like, subscribe to the channel and share your thoughts in the comments. We'd love hearing from you, and thanks for being here and traveling these stories with us. If you would like to be a guest on the show, email us at lamkintravel@gmail.com or join our Facebook community 

till 

next time.

Keep making memories for life, everyone.